Jesse Reyez

It’s hard to image a more of-the-moment song than Jesse Reyz’s “Gatekeeper.” The single from this 26-year-old protests workplace sexual coercion, a situation which she applied to the pop-star game. Voicing the exploitive threat from a hypothetical record executive, Reyez sings: “Thirty million people want a shot/ How much would it take to spread those legs apart?” The song appears on her debut EP, Kiddo, which, appropriately enough, has amassed more than 30 million global streams in the last few months. The singer, who is of Colombian heritage, grew up in Toronto but her song has also made major waves in America, leading to showcases on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Seth Meyers. The music on Reyez’s forthcoming Island Records’ debut has an assertive mix of R&B and hip-hop, but its message has had even more resonance. (Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

10 new artists to watch in 2018

Though 2018 has yet to begin, the music industry already has big plans for its latest stars-in-waiting. In the pipeline are a wide range of promising artists, armed with songs and sounds that draw on established styles only to twist them with their own quirks. Here’s a look at those nascent singers and musicians who, one year from now, may be known by all.